The MANI-festo: What brands can learn from youth's obsession with nails
“The freakier gore, creature, and alien aesthetic we’re seeing in nails feel connected to a kind of ‘third space’ beyond masculine and feminine identities. Young people aren’t confining themselves to being perceived one way or another, instead, they’re mixing and matching body adornment and beauty practices that suit them in the moment.”
– Cam Cronin, Nail Tech & Creative Strategist
This week we dive into one of youth culture’s biggest global phenomena: nail art. Once a symbol of class, rebellion, and self-expression, nails have always carried meaning far beyond decoration. Now worth $24.56B and set to grow to $36.27B by 2032, the industry is booming as Gen Z turns nails into armour, affirmation, and aesthetic code. I spoke to Dazed Studio’s creative strategist (and nail tech) Cam Cronin on what nails really mean to young people today and what brands can learn from it.
Nail Power: A timeline of style, status & resistance
"Refugee camps of Vietnamese Americans resulted in this burst of entrepreneurship and the cropping up of Vietnamese salons, starting in California...that lowered the price of nails, making it more accessible for everyone[...]Hip-hop and culture has a contribution to pushing the conversation forward, with people like Flo-Jo, the track star, who was known for running with those crazy amazing nails."
- Tembe Denton-Hurst, Dazed Digital
Dazed
What nails reveal about Gen Z priorities
01: Self-Affirmation
Nails are no longer just beauty maintenance, they’re part of a wider body adornment ecosystem (alongside tattoos, piercings, hair). They act as armour, ritual, and self-affirmation.
"Instead of considering nails as a routine beauty maintenance treatment, for many it’s part of a body adornment ecosystem… you could be the most unkempt version of you and still feel in control if your nails are done."
– Cam Cronin
02: Nails As A Form of Armour
Nails become protective layers, often done before moments of scrutiny.
"I frequently have clients who make sure to get a fresh set before visiting family or other events that might leave them in need of some support."
– Cam Cronin
03: Creative Experimentation Gets Weirder
Gen Z are pushing the boundaries of what “beautiful” means. From chrome to bruises, fish eggs, mould, and landscapes, nails are a canvas for experimentation.
"People are getting weirder with their tastes and letting the meaning of beauty be interpolated into pure creativity."
– Cam Cronin
04: Self-Esteem Boost
Nail care mirrors the psychological benefits of makeup, offering uplift, extroversion, and positivity. This matters in a generation where self-esteem is in crisis.
"People who receive nail care feel more extroverted, prefer being in public and interacting with others. These results such as increased positivity, relaxation, and positive mood were similar to the psychological effects of using cosmetics reported in previous studies." (Uyama et al., 1990; Sato, 2020)
05: Symbolic Communication & Connection
Nails act as social signifiers and coded language.
"For many queer people it can be a form of flagging your identity to others in the know."
– Cam Cronin
How this shows up in culture
- Y2K frutiger aero futurism.
- Playful characters: Snoopy, Smiski, Sonny Angel, Miffy.
- Mediterranean motifs: fish, fruit, Spanish tiles, olives.
- “Short nails = confident baddie.” (Ashley Sim, TikTok).
- Gothic, medieval & Catholic aesthetics fused with emo/goth.
- Technicians are experimenting with ‘dirty-core’: these gross, disgusting styles – Marggie Nails,
"Chrome chrome chrome — silver dominates, but the ‘nails as jewelry’ theme is continuing to trend."
– Cam Cronin
"Marggie and that anti-manicure look, the typical point is to beautify the nails, and then it’s like, ‘OK, so we can do the opposite, like, make it look worse than it is’. Make it look bruised, make it look broken."
- Tembe Denton-Hurst, Dazed
What brands can learn
- Think beyond beauty: ritual & resilience
Frame nails (and wider beauty) as tools of affirmation & armour. Campaigns can spotlight the emotional depth of beauty rituals.
- Celebrate imperfection & the ‘messy middle’
Gen Z aesthetics embrace the weird, organic, and imperfect. Move beyond polish-perfect shots into raw, playful, and exploratory storytelling.
- Tap into emotional uplift
With self-esteem at historic lows, position nail care as a small act of daily empowerment and mood-boosting ritual.
- Spotlight nails as cultural storytelling
Nails are cultural canvases, whether flagging queer identity, referencing heritage, or nodding to fandoms. Treat nails as micro-media for identity.
- Champion emerging talent
The most exciting trends are bubbling up from grassroots nail artists...
Emerging Talent to Watch
Thams Does ClawsAll Hail Thy Nail
A special mention as context and inspiration for this newsletter: Róisín Tapponi's piece on nails in Real Review Issue 12 + strategist Rhianne Patent’s reflections on nails as semiotics of identity.
